The facility, which will get a new layout, will grow with 9.4 ha of parking space (up to 450 trailers), a new gate system will be put in place, too, plus a new warehouse.

"One of the initiatives that I am excited about is the new fishbone layout in the parking area to enable forward parking instead of the current setup where reverse parking is required. This will increase overall speed of operations while being safer too," Ralph Bosveld, Terminal Operations Director, DFDS, underlined.

The existing gate system (three gates in, two out) will be completely renewed, with a total of five gates in and four out. "The current gate system tends to cause bottlenecks and a lot of traffic on the surrounding roads. To avoid this, two of the exit gates will be placed at the north end, leading about half of the outgoing traffic in a different direction than it moves today. The new terminal layout will also have a waiting area that can accommodate up to 35 trucks without causing any queues," the company highlighted in a press release.

In addition, the terminal's existing railway line will be renovated and extended onto the new site. A new storehouse will be placed close to the rail connection.

Works on upgrading the Vlaardingen Terminal are to start this December or at the beginning of 2021.

Bosveld also noted, "In early 2022, we will install solar panels on the terminal buildings and we are continuously looking into the possibilities for electric vehicles like forklifts and company cars. When the expansion is done, we will have plug-in points for electric cars and a further 20 for reefer trailers to keep the loads at constant temperatures, and so they don’t have to run on diesel. This will significantly reduce noise and harmful emissions."

Photo: DFDS